TH30RYart

I really like the Ashveil BP icon, so cute but I'm poor >^<

Ashveil 🌙

tags: oneshot, husbands cynari and their adopted daughter collei, implied romance, set in sumeru, takes place outside of story, tighnari and cyno reflect camping by a lakeside word count: >1k

Tighnari loved camping. It was truly one of his favourite things to do.

As a Forest Ranger, it felt like a practical but hobby-like application of the skills he’d learnt, so he made a point to do it often and today was no different.

He, Coleil and Cyno all sat around the blazing hearth he’d set up, chatting and laughing together as they talked about their respective days. However, as Coleil told Cyno what she and Tighnari had gotten up to that day, Tighnari couldn’t help but notice that the purple-clad General seemed a lot less talkative than usual, which wasn’t much anyway. 

“Oh! We should catch some fish to cook like we did last time!” Coleil suddenly declared, jumping up to her feet and looking at Tighnari excitedly.

“I can put those skills you taught me yesterday to practical use.” She beamed at him, and Tighnari couldn’t help but notice the pleasant warmth of pride that bloomed in his chest. 

“That’s a great idea.” He praised her, before pointing out the lower end of the lake that they had set up camp nearby. “Go try over there. The water looks deeper than here, so your likelihood of finding fish is higher.”

Coleil nodded, taking her equipment and hurrying over excitedly, green curls bouncing on her shoulders. “I’ll be back soon!” She promised them. 

Once she had left, Cyno sighed heavily, sitting down on the grass of the river bank that they had set up camp near, despite the seat that stood just to his right. A little strange, all things considered. Tighnari leaned over, concerned. “Cyno, are you alright? You seem more talkative and… tired than usual.”

Cyno was quiet for a moment. Pondering an answer likely. “I am. It feels like it has been quite some time since we’ve last done something like this.”

Well, there was no disputing that.

Putting down the makeshift spit skewer he’d made, Tighnari stood and walked over, before he sat down on the grass next to Cyno. “I’ve never seen you like this before.” 

Cyno glanced over at him curiously. “Like what?” 

“Well, you’re quiet and not very responsive tonight.” Tighnari pointed out gently, shuffling a bit closer to Cyno. “You haven’t even cracked a joke this evening.” 

Cyno turned to look at him, expression entirely serious as he said; “Some jokes are hard to lake.” 

A deafening silence. 

“Do you get the-“

“Yes, I get the joke, thank you, Cyno.” Tighnari responded, with slight irritation.

He loved Cyno with all his being but Archons, some of them were astoundingly bad.

In the meantime, Cyno had directed his attention to the dimming, evening sky. Tighnari followed his gaze, noticing the embers of their small fire rising into the star-scattered atmosphere, almost as if they were stars themself. Streaks of purple, lighter blue and dashes of pink ran through the sky like brush strokes, and the moon continued to shine as it always did, round and full. What a beautiful night. 

From beside him, Tighnari heard Cyno yawn, and was about to respond, until Cyno leant to his side and rested his head on Tighnari’s shoulder.

Huh?

“Cy… Cyno?” 

Cyno looked up at him. “Yes?”

Tighnari faltered, the words stuck in his mouth like sticky tree sap. Cyno seemed to understand just by watching him however, as he began to move away. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“N-No! I’m not uncomfortable!” Tighnari replied, a bit too quickly. He cleared his throat, mentally shaking himself off. “It’s just that… this is new. You’re usually not this affectionate.”

After being told this, Cyno leant back into Tighnari’s side, fully relaxing against the Forest Ranger. He didn’t respond for some time, his gaze trained on the reflection of the night sky in the lake. Tighnari followed his gaze, hoping that his heartbeat wasn’t too loud. It certainly felt like it, given how loudly it was pounding in his ears and the slight sway of his tail behind him. 

Cyno’s voice was quiet when he spoke again, his tone sincere. A contrast to his usual delivery. “I wanted to relax with you.”

Tighnari had to bite his tongue to keep from making any involuntary noises. This was rare, so rare, and he was definitely going to be thinking about this tomorrow morning. Cautiously, he lifted an arm, carefully resting it across Cyno’s shoulders, inwardly sighing with relief when the other didn’t flinch. 

“Okay.” He responded, giving Cyno a warm smile, as the two of them looked up at the night sky, watching the ashes float higher and higher, glowing like the stars in the sky. 

"I like the sound of that too.”

tags: oneshot, platonic phaidei, implied romance, set in amphoreus, takes place before current story, mydei and phainon talk sparring while walking through the mamoreal palace word count: 1.2k

Phainon walked casually alongside his greatest rival, Mydeimos of Castrum Kremnos, as the two of them patrolled around the city of Okhema, as per usual. Phainon felt the practically permanent smile etched into his cheeks, as he glanced over at Mydei, that look of light impatience on his face as he scolded Phainon for what felt like the millionth time. Some things never seemed to change. Mydei let out a sharp sigh. “Deliverer, if you were to best me in combat, your stance and guard need drastic improvement. It is exceedingly easy for me to sweep you off of your feet and catch you unaware. This is not a favourable trait of a strong warrior.” He chastised the other Chrysos Heir. 

Phainon nodded, totally listening. “I hear you, Mydeimos. I assume that your eye for details such as this come from-”

“They come from my training as a warrior of Castrum Kremnos.” Mydei cut him off, which despite himself, Phainon found somewhat endearing. The idea that he could predict Mydei’s words made his heart soar with pride. “When sparring with an opponent, it is crucial that you are to imagine yourself on the battlefield with them," Mydei continued, "regardless of who they are and what significance they have in your own life.” The warrior's biting tone of his words not lost on Phainon, who sagged. So that’s what this was about. “This is about our duel earlier today, isn’t it?” He pouted slightly. 

Mydei glanced over at him with a look of indignant concern on his face. “Did you not come to that conclusion when I began talking?” 

Phainon shook his head. “I thought you were just speaking generally.”

Mydei paused for a moment. “A fair assumption. You seem to display these traits I’m describing whenever you spar with me.” 

Phainon let out a rueful scoff. “Low blow, Mydei.” 

As they turned into a joint street of the Mamoreal Market, Phainon couldn’t help but get caught up in how Mydei presented himself. Incredibly different to how Phainon did, but as the Kremnoan prince rattled off more issues with Phainon’s sparring ability, Phainon lost himself in Mydei’s voice. Despite his grating tone, there was a degree of care in his voice. The slightest hint that he was insulting Phainon to better help him further down the road… No, that wasn’t quite right. Shaking himself out of it, Phainon interrupted. “Hey Mydei- Why don’t we… talk about something else for some time?” He suggested. “Let’s leave the sparring recommendations for later?”

Mydei glanced at him, hesitating briefly before giving in with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll critique your skill later.”

A slight silence passed between the two Chrysos Heirs. Then Phainon caught sight of a familiar white staircase. “Oh! I hear the view of the markets is gorgeous from up here.” He turned to Mydei with a cheeky grin, who met his smile with an unimpressed frown. 

“We’re patrolling, not sightseeing, Deliverer.”

Phainon could practically hear his own eyes rolling. “Come on, Mydeimos. We are allowed to have an appreciation for Okhema’s beauty, are we not?” And as soon as he said it, he knew exactly what was coming next. “Although Okhema is quite beautiful, it can barely compare with the-“

“-grandeur of Castrum Kremnos, yes, yes, I know.” Phainon finished for Mydei. “You’ve said so, many times.”

Mydei was about to open his mouth again, likely to tell him off, before Phainon cut him off again. “Can you admit at least that the rooftops of the Mamoreal Markets are a lovely place to appreciate the view, at least?”

Mydei let out a gruff sigh at this, before pushing past Phainon, almost gently, and heading up the stairs. “Yes. The rooftops make good vantage points.”

Once again, despite himself, this made Phainon chuckle. Of course Mydei would respond like this. “To each their own. Although I have to ask, does your mind ever stop thinking of warfare and bloodshed?” Mydei froze at this, looking at Phainon incredulously. “You think I only have the capacity to think of violence?” Phainon’s brain crashed. That was a terrible thing to say, why did he say that??

“Uh- no, no no no, not at all.” He quickly backtracked, walking faster up the stairs. “I was just- curious, given how often you talk about it as a subject and- my apologies, did I offend you?” He winced. 

Mydei was quiet for a moment. He kept walking up the stairs, Phainon trailing behind. The silence felt agonising. Titans, why did he say that?

“No, you did not.” Mydei’s voice cut through Phainon’s thoughts like a hot blade in water, sizzling as it cooled. Phainon perked up. Mydei noticed him do so and immediately glanced away with a scoff. “I am capable of thinking of other topics distant to warfare, Deliverer.”

“R-Right, right of course. Stupid of me to think otherwise.” Mydei glared at him for a moment, but it didn’t seem to have the anger it usually had, before he moved onto the balcony of a building, leading to two rugs that were pitched from the balcony to the roof of the building opposite. The silence between them felt deafening. So Phainon broke it.

“Have you ever been here before, Mydeimos?” He asked, carefully but curious. Mydei surprised the other Chrysos Heir by shaking his head. Phainon glanced from the rugs to the other building. “Would you like to cross over?”

“If we must.” Mydei responded, making his way across with ease, despite it being his first time in such a place. Phainon on the other hand hesitated. He knew the rugs weren’t the most secure and despite being here multiple times, it never seemed to get easier. They shook and wobbled with every step, almost like walking a tightrope. Halfway across one, Mydei let out a groan. “Deliverer, you’ve dealt with so much worse than this.”

Phainon let out an equally exasperated sigh. “Yes, I know, but it never stops me from wondering if-”

“Stop.” Mydei cut him off, before extending his arm as he groaned in exasperation, irritation etched all over that handsome face of his. “Titans, just take my hand already, haikas. You’re so annoying.” He grumbled, taking Phainon’s hand, albeit likely a bit rougher than he should’ve. To Phainon, however, it meant the world. An act of sincerity and genuine care from the Kremnoan warrior, in spite of his well-known aggression.

The two of them crossed the rugs, coming to the other building, and Phainon’s heart practically soared when he heard Mydei gasp softly. The colossal guardian statue stood high and mighty, shouldering the weight of the golden sphere above it with a pair of its hands, the other two outstretched. Down below, the citizens of Okhema milled around idly, each one doing something different. Some were mothers with children, some were merchants, and some were the guards often stationed around the Mamoreal Palace. The greenery of Okhema brightened the cobbled stone of the pathways and golden braziers. Truly a sight to behold. It was only when Mydei turned to look at Phainon, did the Deliverer realise that they were still holding hands.

"What do you think, Mydeimos?" "..."

"Yes, it's a nice view."

I saw a post about someone chiding Millennials for not knowing about JKRowlings transphobia, and asking how it is at all possible that people can exist in the world and the internet and, you know, not know.

Which I mean, I get. It is so present in so many of my online spaces that it seems astounding that someone could simply be ignorant! It feels impossible!

But let me tell you a story:

I went on a girls trip with a bunch of friends. All of us are rather incredibly liberal and all of us are incredibly online.

One girl would not stop talking about Harry Potter.

At one point, another girl asked her why she was ok with supporting it, and she had no real clue that JK Rowling was at all transphobic. She had heard that she likes to support Lesbian causes and thought “oh ok cool!” And that was it. She was AGOG with the news and rather horrified.

I must once again emphasize that she was an incredibly online person. She’s a foodie and a restaurant blogger.

Later in the trip we were picking restaurants and I suggested one I found on Google, and she gasped at me. Actually gasped, asking how I could ever be okay picking that one.

The shock must’ve been on my face, because she then told me all of the shitty things that restaurateur does. He abuses staff. Underpays them. Fires them on a whim. Is known for being one of the worst people to his employees in the entire restaurant business on this coast.

And she was so shocked I had never heard of this. Because in her mind, I was just as online as her. And in her online world, EVERYONE knew about this guy.

So I think the moral of this story is: always approach the other person with some empathy. Even online people, even people you think MUST know about how bad people are, may not have heard. It may truly be just them being on a different sphere of the internet than you.

So be gentle, be kind when letting people know they might not have heard about the cancellation of XYZ person. Don’t assume that everyone knows all the same info as you.

You thought about this OC 1000000times

"how dare you say we piss on the poor" in response to someone misinterpreting your post

"_ isnt gonna fuck you" for suck up behavior

"woah. should we tell everyone? should we throw a party?" for who the fuck cares

"and what if the world was made of pudding" for when would this ever matter.

"and sharks are smooth both ways" for a group of people heatedly arguing with 1 guy who is fucking with them all

“30-50 wild hogs” for someone making ABSURD excuses for violence.

“what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament” for how do you know that without being a part of it.

“anyone in this thread smoke weed” for the shit you people are saying is so off topic this might as well be a general discussion forum

“dogs are boys and cats are girls” for ooh ur mindset did not grow past 4th grade, huh

“color theory in a childrens hospital” for bending over backwards to not agree that YEA, that thing Came Off Weird

“you are a tar pit” for someone finding any reason to respond with outrage.

“is the __ in the room with us right now?” for I Don’t Think That’s Real.

“bean soup? im allergic to beans!” for ik this doesn’t work for you, but that’s not a flaw. not everything can be for you.